Mindfulness exercise and mental health among university students: the sequential mediating roles of sleep regularity and self-control

Background: The mental health problem of college students has become an increasingly prominent public health problem. Mindfulness exercise (ME) is considered to be a promising way to improve psychological well-being. However, the underlying mechanisms by which mindfulness exercise affects mental health (MH) remain poorly understood. Based on the theory of self-regulation, this research explores the sequential mediating role of sleep regularity (SR) and self-control (SC) in the relationship between mindfulness exercise and mental health of college students.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 470 Chinese undergraduate students using validated self-report instruments measuring mindfulness exercise, sleep regularity, self-control, and mental health. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.1. Measurement reliability and validity were assessed, and bootstrapping procedures (5,000 resamples) were employed to test direct, indirect, and sequential mediation effects.

Results: The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Structural model results indicated that mindfulness exercise was positively associated with sleep regularity ( β = 0.457, p < 0.001), sleep regularity was positively associated with self-control ( β = 0.288, p < 0.001), and self-control was positively associated with mental health ( β = 0.296, p < 0.001). Mediation analyses revealed that sleep regularity significantly mediated the relationship between mindfulness exercise and self-control, while self-control mediated the association between mindfulness exercise and mental health. Moreover, a significant sequential mediating effect of sleep regularity and self-control was observed in the relationship between mindfulness exercise and mental health.

Conclusion: Mindfulness exercise was positively associated with MH among university students, and this association was linked to sleep regularity and self-control. The results enhance the theoretical understanding of the behavioral and self-regulation mechanisms linking mindfulness exercise and mental health, and provide practical implications for the development of integrated mental health promotion interventions targeting sleep behavior and self-regulation in higher education environments.